A UB employee is alleged to have murdered his girlfriend by strangulation prior to a house fire Saturday at Elmwood Village, according to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office.
Kidane Haile, 30, was arraigned and indicted on one count of second-degree murder Thursday afternoon. He is accused of intentionally murdering his 29-year-old girlfriend Kathleen Carrig prior to a fire on Oct. 18 in their shared first-floor apartment on the 400 block of Norwood Avenue, the DA’s office says.
Haile pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Shortly after the Buffalo Fire Department responded to the fire, Haile was taken by ambulance to the Erie County Medical Center where he was hospitalized for several days for smoke inhalation treatment. Carrig and Haile’s infant son — 4-day old Noah — were pronounced dead at the scene along with Carrig.
The Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Carrig’s manner of death was homicide caused by asphyxia due to strangulation, according to the DA’s office. The cause of death for the newborn remains under investigation.
In a press conference Thursday, Erie County District Attorney Michael Keane said that he anticipates the evidence to show that Haile intentionally started the fire with gasoline.
Haile was employed as a financial advisor at UB during the time of his arrest.
The university said that they are aware of the charges against Haile in a statement released Friday.
“The University at Buffalo extends its heartfelt condolences to those who are grieving the horrific loss of loved ones this past weekend,” the statement reads. “Although the university cannot comment on specific personnel matters, UB has a robust disciplinary process in place to address instances where an employee may have engaged in criminal activity.”
The investigation is ongoing, with a return court date not scheduled yet, according to the DA’s office.
If convicted of the charges, Haile faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
CORRECTION: A sentence in the article incorrectly stated Kathleen Carrig's last name as 'Carig.' We regret this error.
Nadia Bangaroo is the assistant news editor and can be reached at nadia.bangaroo@ubspectrum.com.
